Adversity in Childhood and Its Association with Caregiving of a Parent in Adulthood

To examine the relationship between adversity in childhood and regular caregiving of a parent in adulthood. Using 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data from four states that administered both the caregiving and Adverse Childhood Experiences modules (n = 18,909), we conducted logistic regression to estimate the relationship between ACEs and caregiving for a parent. Adults with three or more ACEs are significantly more likely (OR = 1.2) than those with fewer ACEs to provide regular care for a parent nine or more hours per week, controlling for other characteristics such as gender, age, poverty, and marital status. Moreover, the type of ACEs experienced in childhood matters, such that adults exposed to parental challenges (i.e., parental substance use, mental health, and incarceration, or divorce), and not child abuse, are more likely to provide regular care of a parent. Our findings suggest that ACEs, particularly parental challenges, are associated with greater likelihood of caregiving responsibilities in adulthood showcasing how ACEs also influence social roles over the life course. Because ACEs are partially determined by social factors, caregiving also has social determinants. Both ACEs and caregiving can have detrimental effects on health and well-being, and thus, this observed relationship is important for developing support for caregivers.

Duke Scholars

Author Helen Milojevich